104 



This fear is however perfectly unnecessary, as although it con- 

 stantly leaves its teeth in the object of its attack, no result more than 

 from the scratch of a thorn ensues. 



The general length of the Boa of this island is from eight to ten 

 feet, and it is rarely found longer than fourteen feet. It feeds upon 

 rats, birds, cats, rabbits, fowls, and all small animals. Its head is 

 covered with small scales, unlike the generahty of harmless serpents. 

 The scales over the body are small and smooth, and beautiful tints 

 may be observed in them when exposed to a strong light or in the 

 sun. The abdominal scuta are 280 in number, and the subcaudal 

 squamae consist of 70 rows. I beheve the Boa to be \4viparous, from 

 some young having been cut out of the womb of a dead female. 



The Boa has the property of being able to live for a great length 

 of time without food, water, and almost without air. I have wit- 

 nessed cases of their existing in drawers and boxes luiopened for 

 months, and I have been told upon good authority of a case of a Boa 

 looking as well and as fat after thirteen months of this species of 

 confinement as before it. 



I am unable to fix any regular period for the changes of skin to 

 which all serpents are liable, and which appears greatly to depend 

 upon the state of their stomachs. 



2. Characters of three new Genera and Species of Lepi- 

 DOPTERA. By William Wing, M.E.S. 



(Annulosa, PI. XIV.) 



Fam. NocTuiD^. 



1 . Caligatus, n. g. 



Palpi short, ascending ; densely clothed with scales ; penultimate 

 joint long (fig. 2 «) : antennce bipectinated at the base, and bearded 

 (fig. 2 b, section) i^ : head small, rounded, nearly concealed : thorax 

 with a large, acute crest in front : abdomen long, furnished with two 

 anal tufts, (J : anterior wings acute at tip, broad, dentate, slightly 

 deflexed ; posterior wings abbreviated. Type, 



Caligatus Angasii, n. sp. (Annulosa, PI. XIV. fig. 2, 3.) 

 Sp. Ch. — Body and base of the anterior wings of a bright fawn- 

 colour, with a triaugiUar diaphanous patch at the costa, another of 

 an oval form between the costa and posterior margin, and a nearly 

 square patch in the centre of the outer margin. General colour of 

 the apical half of the wing pink, varied with yellow and fawn-colour ; 

 posterior wings diaphanous, with a broad ashy brown margin marked 

 with a triangular yellow spot, and a lunular pink spot at the inner 

 angle ; ciHa of all the wings white. In the male the metatarsi and 

 tibiae are densely clothed with long hair-like scales, making them 

 appear very broad and flat (fig. 3) . I have named this species after 

 Mr. Angas, who has recently explored the highly interesting country 

 of which this is a native, the Cape of Good Hope. In the collection 

 of the British Museum. 



